Wednesday, May 26, 2010

We are in the process of switching gears around here, from our ultra-busy school year (and out-of-control, crazy spring) to our more laid-back summer schedule.

And it's not just my family that's switching gears.

This week, we returned to Ordinary Time in the Church. I've found the green stoles, like the grass in early spring, to be refreshing for my eyes. The antiphons and readings in the Divine Office strike me as inspired and new, after 14 weeks of Lenten and Easter prayers.

In another week and a half, my parish moves to its summer mass schedule, which means I lose my routine of Morning Prayer and mass at "home." The summer schedule places mass too late for me to go solo (DH has to get to work) and too early to drag bring the children. Usually, I complain long and loud about that change.

This year, I'm ok with it. Actually, I'm even looking forward to the change, to sleeping just a little later each morning, and to the way the sunlight shines through the stained glass windows behind the altar at this other church. It always lifts my spirits.

I've been thinking about the rhythms of life lately. Here we are again, at the beginning of a new season: formal school work done, t-ball starting, summer weather and long afternoons at the pool. I need this break. The kids need it. We need to slow down, take some deep breaths, relax and let go for a little while. I know that in a few months, we'll I'll be itching to get back to our routine.

But, for now, the change is welcome.

And it's the same with the Church. I was ready to return to Ordinary Time. We've been anchoring our family in the liturgical calendar for a few years now, but it wasn't until I started praying the Liturgy of the Hours last fall that I've really started to understand the seasons, particularly Ordinary Time.

Just as summer is defined not just as what it isn't (school year, lots of activities) but by what it is (swimming, lazy mornings, family vacations), so, too, with Ordinary Time. It isn't Advent, Christmas, Lent or Easter. It isn't a time of preparation or celebration, but it's special just the same. Ordinary Time is the day-to-day ministry of Jesus. It was in Ordinary Time where Jesus taught the masses, healed the sick and dying, and performed many of His miracles. It is in Ordinary Time where most of our living occurs.

It's our chance to take a deep breath, relax into the Word, and let the teachings of Jesus flow through us and into our lives.

Right here, at the beginning of our summer break, at the beginning of Ordinary Time, I am welcoming this new rhythm. I need the quieter times to balance out the pace of the busy times. I need to slow down, enjoy my children without agendas or time tables, and practice being present right now.

The rhythms of the church, and the rhythms of my life, encourage me to do just that.